The Mike Senn Family: Spring time Week of March 1, 2011

This is a journal entry of things we are doing at the Mike Senn family farm in zone 8. It is intended to give you ideas and helps about gardening, and to inspire and help you live a happier healthier life.

Monday it was such a pretty day; We fly kites after school was done.

Tuesday, I decided I would spread lime on the field that will be for the sheep. Mike gave me instructions and off I went. He said don't go to slow or you will bog down and get stuck. I went around the pecan tree with spreader going, for practice, then headed to the field. I made it to the field and the pto shaft broke so there it sits.

Strawberries are growing good. March 1, 2011

Sally started this sweet potato. The idea is, it will send out shoots that will will plant in the garden.

Thursday I disked the garden. I am just learning to do this. Things went well. My plans are to get a cultivator and do this whole garden with a tractor.

Thursday evening we had Bible club. We had it outside because they still don't have an apartment available for us to use. The adults were able to see what we do. I think this was good.

Hannah telling the Bible story.

Friday we finally got the blueberries planted that we got in the mail Monday. We all got up and our first priority was the blueberries. We planted 18 and we had 22 already planted that makes a total of 40.

On the way back to the house Web and I noticed this chicken coming out of a pile of mess at the barn. She was singing her cackle song.

Yep. Just what we thought. Eggs.

Now back down the hill for school with a tarp to cover the lime, eggs we found, a little fertilizer for my starter plants, a stepping stone we made, and two potted blueberry bushes we saved for my mom.

Deanna working on her herb garden.

We put our plants out on the car in the full sun everyday so the can get used to being outside and they will not grow long and leggy.

Our tomato plants are up.

AJ is learning to guard the chickens.

I am thinking about this pole. It is cemented in the ground in our flower garden area. It was used for guide wires for a TV antenna. We don't need it because we have more important things to do than to watch TV, so we save that TV expense every month and buy other better things. I think is needs something growing up it. hmmm

Mae's Weeping cherry tree. This was on her wish list for two years. Last year for her graduation party we bought it and planted it in her garden area. It is just sprouting. This means we were able to keep it alive for a whole year. That is a good sign we may can keep it alive.

A rose garden. Mike and Alena made me last year. It is putting out leaves all over.

Sally gathering some of that good dirt for her flower garden.

This is the pen my chickens are supposed to be in. The goat and sheep tore it all up on the bottom. The idea was free range chickens in the evening after they lay the eggs in the nest box. We would forget to go back and close the door, so they got to used to being out and eventually started roosting other places and now we hunt eggs for more than just Easter.

Nap time for Alena and her puppy. I need to quickly get this puppy interested in guarding sheep. You want them more social with sheep than with people, but I think I am losing progress here. Bonnie

Alena says she is driving here doll to China.

Friday. Planted Lettuce and broccoli on a row that had some strawberries that did not do good. We plant these after we had had the plants for over a week.

Nat cleaning out the barn stalls. After they are cleaned they will get a layer of lime to help with smell and flies. The litter is gardeners gold.

We will use these stalls for the mommy sheep that will soon have babies. We pen the up for a few days until the learn they have a baby. Sometimes they forget and don't keep up with them to well.

This is a row in the garden that I am getting ready for tomatoes. I am trying to put all the natural things they like here. Leaves, and sheep manure has been put here.